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Bengaluru: C-suite pay in India Inc is on the rise – and so is pay at risk.Median CEO compensation shot up to Rs 9.3 crore in fiscal 2024, 35% higher compared with pre-Covid levels of Rs 6.9 crore in FY20, the Deloitte India Executive Performance and Rewards Survey has revealed.The average CEO compensation was Rs 13.8 crore in FY24, up 40% from Rs 9.8 crore four years earlier, because of the presence of some outliers on the higher end.The survey covered more than 400 companies across sectors and life stages, with most having an annual turnover of Rs 1,000 crore-plus, but did not include any public sector companies.About three out of every four CEOs in India now earn more than Rs 5 crore, the survey has found. CEOs earning more than Rs 20 crore in target total compensation has doubled over the last four years. Every second CEO had a target compensation of more than Rs 10 crore in FY24, compared with every third CEO in FY20.More than 50% of overall CEO compensation was at-risk (linked to short-term and long-term incentives). For professional CEOs, pay-at-risk at 57% was much higher than for promoter CEOs at 47%. Professional CEOs have 25% of their target compensation delivered through long-term incentives, which for most companies is paid through share-linked incentives.Promoter vs professional CEOsCEOs who are also promoters or members of the promoter family had a median pay of Rs 11.9 crore in FY24 and Rs 16.7 crore on an average. For professional CEOs, the median pay and average pay were Rs 8.9 crore and Rs 13 crore, respectively.Over the past four years, the ratio of promoter-to-professional CEO compensation has increased significantly, the survey has found. The number of promoter CEOs earning more than Rs 20 crore has increased fourfold over the last four years.“Promoter CEO compensation has been outpacing professional CEO compensation,” said Dinkar Pawan, director Deloitte India, pointing out that promoter CEOs don’t have long-term incentives, but only commission pay-outs.“Promoter CEOs tend to have longer tenures than professional CEOs, so the pay rises faster. There is also higher volatility in promoter CEO compensation – the range is very wide, and that affects the higher averages,” he added.CXO payChief operating officers and chief financial officers continue to command the highest compensation premiums in India among CXOs. For these two roles, 44% of the target compensation is at-risk, with almost half of it being driven through long-term incentives.Chief HR officers are the next highest paid, followed by business unit (BU) heads, legal heads and chief information officers.In FY24, the median compensation was Rs 3.7 crore for COOs, Rs 3.5 crore for CFOs and Rs 2.4 crore for CHROs. The median pay for BU heads, chief legal officers/general counsels and CIOs was Rs 1.9 crore, Rs 1.9 crore and Rs 1.6 crore, respectively.The pay mixWith respect to long-term incentives, the percentage of companies using stock-based incentives continues to increase (75% in FY24 vs 63% in FY20). However, the prevalence of stock options, or ESOPs, continues to decrease (49% of companies vs 68% four years earlier).“Large Indian companies with more mature and globally aligned compensation practices are pivoting towards performance shares and use of multiple incentive plans for different employee cohorts,” said Anandorup Ghose, partner, CHRO Programme Leader, Deloitte India.A separate analysis of CEO changes in BSE 200 companies (excluding PSUs) revealed that 45% of companies witnessed a CEO change over the past five years. Six of every 10 new CEOs were homegrown (internally appointed). The remaining were external hires.CEO compensation in India: up, up and awayMedian CEO comp with long-term incentives2020 (in Rs crore)2024 (in Rs crore))CEO (promoter+professional)6.99.3Promoter CEOs611.9Professional CEOs7.18.9 Average CEO comp with long-term incentives2020 (in Rs crore)2024 (in Rs crore))CEO (promoter+professional)9.813.8Promoter CEOs1016.7Professional CEOs9.713.0 The wide gap between median and average CEO compensation (Rs 9.3 crore vs Rs 13.8 crore) indicates the wide range of compensation numbers and some outliers on the higher endFaster increase in promoter CEO compensation compared to professional CEOsSource:Deloitte India’s 2024 Executive Performance and Rewards Survey

Nifty on Monday ended 153 points higher to form a green candle on the daily chart while registering a new all-time high.Positive chart patterns like higher tops and bottoms are intact as per the daily chart, and the present upmove is in line with the new higher top formation of the pattern. The short-term uptrend of the Nifty remains intact, and the next upside levels are around 22,800 (1.618% Fibonacci projection). Immediate support is at 22,520 levels, said Nagaraj Shetti of HDFC Securities.Analysis of the Open Interest (OI) data reveals the highest OI on the call side at the 23,000 strike price, followed by the 23,200 strike price. On the put side, the highest OI was observed at the 22,500 strike price.What should traders do? Here’s what analysts said:Rupak De, LKP SecuritiesNifty has reached near the upper band of the rising wedge, which might act as resistance in the short term. Over the short term, the index might consolidate within a range. On the lower end, support is at 22,500, below which the index might fall back into consolidation.Jatin Gedia, SharekhanNifty has closed above the previous swing high of 22,619, which is a bullish sign. The daily and hourly momentum indicator has a positive crossover, a buy signal. The daily Bollinger bands are expanding, indicating range expansion, and with prices moving along the upper band suggests that there could be trending moves in the coming trading sessions. On the upside, the immediate hurdle is placed at 22,740, and beyond that, it is likely to stretch towards 23000. On the downside, support is placed at 22460 – 22420.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)